Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

The "What If" Game

In transcribing the letters my grandparents left behind I've come across a couple of "What ifs."

1. What if my grandparents had moved to Minnesota after their marriage? My grandfather was considering this while stationed in France during World War I. If he had done so, would my parents have met? Not likely. They only met because Grandpa P took a job in Detroit.

2. What if my grandmother had not died at the age of 45? Would my grandfather's attitude towards my mom and dad's marriage have been different?

3. What if my grandmother hadn't died at the age of 45? Would my parents have met? Possibly, but since they met because my mom and aunt were living in the same boarding house as my dad's father, who was a widower, probably not. That means I wouldn't be here either.

This actually brought tears to my eyes.....what if our grandmother had never died at 45, would our dads have been closer, would our families have been closer? We should talk sometime. We were distant in miles, but it was more than that and I never quite understood it.